Presence and reality with special reference to Kant and Hegel

Historical Basis of the concept of Appearance and Reality In this chapter, I shall take up the historical basis of the concept of appearance and reality. When we look at the concept of appearance and reality in Western philosophical thought, we find that the dichotomy of appearance and reality begins with the ancient Greek philosophy. Early Greek philosophers are mainly concerned with the nature of the ultimate reality. They are primarily engaged with the question- What is the basic stuff out of which the universe is constituted? Whether the ultimate reality is static or dynamic? Various philosophers have argued for different view points for this particular problem. Some philosophers say that reality is static; while some others argue that reality is in a state of constant flux. The problem of change and permanent in early Greek philosophy is also known as the problem of being and becoming. While philosophers like Heraclitus consider reality to be flux, the Eleatic philosophers like Parmenides and Zeno think that reality is characterized by fixity. The Eleatic philosophers like Parmenides and Zeno employ dialectical reason to establish the impossibility of plurality and motion. In contrast, Heraclitus argues that the universe is in a state of perpetual movement. The writing of Heraclitus has survived only in fragments. The style of Heraclitus is difficult and therefore even in the ancient period he is known as the obscured. Heraclitus disagrees with Thales, Anaximander and Pythagoras about the nature of the ultimate substance, but instead he claims that the nature of everything is change itself. This leads to the belief that change is real, and stability is illusory. For Heraclitus, everything is in flux, as exemplified in his famous aphorism, "'Panta Rhei', All things flow, nothing stands still." 1 In his opinion, all things originate from fire and return to it again by a never resting process of development. In other words, there is a cycle of transformation by which the exchange of fire and earth and water and air takes place, an 'upward' and 'downward' way. All things therefore, are in a perpetual flux. Heraclitus writes, "One cannot stepped into the same river twice" 2 . The 1 Brumbaugh, Robert S., The Philosopher of Greece, (Albany: State University of New York press, 1981), p.46. 2 Burnet, John, Greek Philosopher: Thales to Plato, ( London: The Macmillan press Ltd., 1981), p. 48.